Chapter 481 : Bloodlust

That order told Mihos more than any reassurance could have.

Stephen was preparing for the possibility that he might need to leave. He needs to flee like a loser. A situation like it never happened to him.

Mihos did not like it. He liked the alternative less.

Elena stepped forward again.

Sofia and Natasha took positions beside her.

Stephen stood alone opposite them.

Sekhmet remained farther back, but his Blood Control was now another threat Stephen could no longer ignore.

Every wound made Sekhmet more dangerous.

Every drop of blood became something Stephen had to protect.

Elena looked at him.

"You can still leave."

Mihos immediately shouted from behind him.

"No!"

Stephen did not answer either of them.

Elena continued.

"Take Mihos and leave Slik City. This fight ends. Never disrespect young master Sekhmet."

Mihos stepped forward.

"You do not decide that!"

Elena did not even look at him.

Stephen remained silent.

Sekhmet finally spoke.

"No."

Elena glanced back.

Sekhmet’s crimson eyes remained fixed on Stephen.

"He came here to kill everyone and tear through my soul."

His voice sounded different. It was lower. It was rougher.

The Bloodlust was beginning to affect even the way he spoke.

"He did not leave because the fight became difficult."

Elena studied him. Then she saw the state of his eyes more clearly.

"Sekhmet."

He did not look at her.

The System rang.

[Host Bloodlust: 95%.

Warning.

Bloodlust has entered the Critical Stage.

System control assistance is approaching maximum capacity.]

Sekhmet heard the warning.

He also heard Stephen’s heartbeat.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Slower than before.

Weaker than before.

And filled with blood powerful enough to make every instinct inside Sekhmet scream for him to finish what had already begun.

Stephen looked at him.

For the first time, the Mid-Rank God understood that the most dangerous person in the courtyard might no longer be Elena.

It was the Chaos Rank Three man standing behind her and staring at his blood like a starving beast.

Stephen understood the situation before Mihos did.

The Iron House estate had become a trap. The main gate was blocked. Lesser vampires surrounded the outer walls. Dawn House battle maids controlled several paths through the courtyard, and the fighters Mihos had brought from camp were already beginning to fall faster than they could reorganize.

More importantly, Stephen was injured.

Elena stood in front of him at the same Mid-Rank God level. Sofia and Natasha were both temporarily Low-Rank Gods, and Sekhmet had somehow begun interfering with his divine blood whenever a wound opened.

Continuing to protect Mihos in the middle of all this was becoming more dangerous by the second.

Stephen looked toward his young master.

"Prepare to leave."

Mihos stared at him.

"What?"

"I will open a path."

Mihos’s expression immediately darkened.

"We are not running."

Stephen turned his head just enough to look at him.

"This is not the time to argue."

Mihos had rarely heard that tone from Stephen.

The old butler had served him for years. He advised him. Warned him. Sometimes he disagreed with him carefully. But he almost never spoke as if an order from Mihos no longer mattered.

That alone made Mihos understand how serious the situation had become.

He looked around.

Several of his people were already dead.

More were injured.

The Dawn House battle maids held the main entrance. Vera and Vela stood directly between Mihos and the easiest road outside.

Mira and Lily were fighting farther to the side, preventing another group from breaking through.

Mihos clenched his jaw.

"The seed is still here somewhere."

Stephen answered without looking at him.

"If you stay, you may never have another chance to search for it."

That ended the argument.

Mihos looked toward Sekhmet one last time.

Sekhmet was already staring at Stephen.

His crimson eyes looked wrong.

Not merely angry.

Not even human in the normal sense.

Stephen had noticed it too.

Something inside Sekhmet was changing.

"Take two guards," Stephen said.

Two of Mihos’s strongest remaining personal guards immediately moved toward him.

Stephen raised both hands. His strange divine power spread across the ground.

Elena reacted.

"Stop him!"

She rushed forward.

Stephen slammed both palms together.

The world between him and the western wall twisted.

The stone cracked.

Then an entire section of the courtyard seemed to shift sideways.

A path appeared where no path had existed before.

It did not simply break through the wall. The distance itself changed for a moment, pulling the outer street closer while pushing everyone else away.

Sekhmet saw it.

So did Elena.

But the opening was already there.

"Go!" Stephen shouted.

Mihos moved.

The two guards stayed close to him as all three rushed toward the distorted passage.

Vera and Vela tried to intercept.

Stephen moved one hand.

The space in front of the twins became heavy enough to slow them for a heartbeat.

That heartbeat was enough.

Mihos crossed the opening.

One guard followed.

Then the second.

Raka saw them from outside.

"Stop them!"

Several lesser vampires rushed forward.

One of Mihos’s guards turned and released a wide burst of chaos energy. The attack did not kill the vampires, but it threw them aside long enough for Mihos to continue running.

Stephen kept the passage open. His face became paler. Blood ran from his nose again.

Elena reached him.

Her fist struck his side.

Stephen coughed blood but refused to release the power.

Mihos was already outside the estate.

He looked back once.

"Stephen!"

"Leave!"

That was the last thing Stephen said to him.

Then he released the distorted space.

The passage collapsed.

The broken wall returned to normal distance, but Mihos and the two guards were already several streets away.

Stephen had successfully sent him out.

Elena immediately turned toward Sekhmet.

"Battle maids can chase him."

Sekhmet did not answer.

Another System notification had appeared inside his mind.

[Host Bloodlust: 97%.

System control assistance at maximum capacity.

Primary hostile target: Stephen.

Warning: Further Bloodlust increase may cause complete loss of restraint.]