Chapter 242: The Puppeteers

Chapter 242: Chapter 242: The Puppeteers

SQUELCH!

The second demon didn’t even have time to scream. Clara’s Orbital Singularity struck its chest, collapsing its demonic core and tearing a massive, bloodless hole through its head. The headless body twitched violently before crashing into the sand.

Clara deactivated her spell, flipping her silver hair over her shoulder with a smug smile. She turned to watch Lucian, crossing her arms.

In the air above the ruins, Lucian was a blur of motion. The two remaining demons lunged at him, their massive, clawed hands tearing through the air.

BAM! CLANG!

One demon swung a jagged bone club at Lucian’s head. Lucian caught the blow on his forearm, the impact ringing out like a thunderclap. He fired a Mind Spike directly into the demon’s brain.

ZAP!

The demon froze, clutching its head and screaming as its consciousness was torn apart. Lucian capitalized instantly, driving a reinforced fist straight into its face. CRACK! The demon’s jaw shattered, teeth and black blood spraying into the wind.

But the second demon blindsided him, slamming a heavy, flaming fist into Lucian’s ribs. BAM! Lucian was sent hurtling backward through the air, but he righted himself, skidding to a halt. The crimson sheen of his Crimson Vessel armor glowed brightly, having absorbed the brunt of the blow.

"Need a hand there, darling?" Clara called out, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "You look a little slow."

Lucian shot her a glare, a smirk tugging at his own lips as he cracked his neck. "Keep dreaming, love. I’m just getting warmed up."

He clapped his hands together. Clap!

"Blood Eclipse Art."

HUM!

A violent surge of crimson energy erupted from Lucian, his spell power amplifying. His spell power skyrocketed by 70%. The air behind the two demons suddenly rippled. Massive, monstrous claws of condensed crimson blood materialized out of thin air, clamping around the demons’ torsos and pinning their arms to their sides. They roared, thrashing violently, but the blood claws held firm.

Lucian raised his right hand, and a blinding, golden light condensed around his palm. Pure radiance shaped into the form of a longsword, radiating a holy, purifying energy.

"Dawnbreaker."

FWOOOOOOSH!

The blinding sword of light shot forward like a meteor, vaporizing the air in its path. It struck the two trapped demons, and the resulting explosion of holy light was so intense that it turned the demons to ash in an instant.

BOOOOOM!

Clara crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "You just had to waste all that mana showing off, didn’t you?"

Lucian landed gracefully on the sand, his eyes sweeping the battlefield. He gave her a cool smile and closed his fist.

BOOM!

In the distance, where the blood clones had cornered the final, injured demon, the three Blood Clones suddenly surged with unstable energy. The clones grabbed the demon, their bodies glowing crimson.

"Blood Explosion," Lucian murmured.

BOOOOOOOM!

A massive explosion of crimson energy detonated where the clones and the demon stood. The shockwave flattened the remaining rubble, and when the smoke cleared, the demon was gone—completely obliterated.

Clara snorted, shaking her head. "Show off."

Lucian’s smile faded as he walked toward the only demon with an intact body. He bit his thumb, squeezing a single drop of his pitch-black, void-tinged blood onto the corpse. The blood sizzled, sinking into the demon’s skin to track its origin. He then walked over to the headless demon.

"What are you doing?" Clara asked, her tone turning serious.

"I doubt this is over," Lucian said with a deep frown. "Whoever summoned them is still near."

Meanwhile, New Miami, USA — Knights of the Horizon Headquarters.

CRASH! BOOM!

The demon assault had finally ceased, but the main base was a smoldering warzone. Thanks to the sheer number of Peak Grand Core masters stationed there and Miss Solstice coordinating the defense, they had managed to resist and slaughter the demon horde.

But the cost was heavy. Task Force members and Knights lay dead among the rubble. Fires raged, and the scent of blood choked the air. Solstice stood in the center of the courtyard, panting heavily, her pink hair matted with sweat and demon blood.

Suddenly, the air pressure plummeted.

THOOM!

A spatial tear opened above the burning base. A single figure stepped out, radiating an aura so dense and suffocating that the Peak Grand Core masters below immediately collapsed to their knees, coughing up blood.

Beijing, China — Knights of the Horizon Base.

CRASH! BAM!

The Chinese branch had fared no better. They had successfully repelled the demon horde, but the base was a smoldering ruin.

Suddenly, the sky darkened.

RUMBLE!

A second and a third Astral Realm figure materialized above the base, their aura pressing down on the survivors like a physical weight. The Chinese Knights looked up in despair. They had survived the demons, but they were in no condition to fight an Astral Realm cultivator.

Meanwhile, France — The Ruins of the Beach House.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Lucian and Clara spun around, their bodies tensing.

Three figures were floating in the air above the beach, slowly clapping.

"As expected of the young prodigy of the European All-Star Academy," a smooth voice echoed. "And a Knight of the Horizon, no less."

Lucian immediately activated his Primordial Sight, the world shifting as he analyzed the three figures.

The first was a woman with sharp, angular features, her blue hair flowing in the wind. A data window appeared before his eyes.

[Name: Aria]

[Race: Human]

[Cultivation: Peak Grand Core Realm]

[Ability: A-Rank Wind Control, A-Rank Water Control]

The second was a bulky man with a sadistic grin.

[Name: Marcus]

[Race: Human]

[Cultivation: Peak Grand Core Realm]

[Ability: S-Rank Fire Manipulation]

Guess he’s the one who destroyed my beach house, Lucian thought.

Then, Lucian’s gaze shifted to the third figure. The lean man in the center and his frown deepened..

[Name: Zero]

[Race: Human]

[Cultivation: Early Astral Realm]

[Ability: A-Rank Energy Beams, A-Rank Shadow Dissolution]

Lucian frowned. Upgrading abilities to A-Rank wasn’t impossible, but reaching the Astral Realm meant Zero was a genuine threat.

Zero looked down at Lucian, a polite, unsettling smile on his face.

"Lucian Grimaud," Zero said, his voice echoing smoothly over the waves. "A vampire hiding among humans. Now, that is a sight to behold. Tell me, what’s your story?"

Lucian smirked, his hand resting on the hilt of the Blood Reaver. "My story? A soon-to-be graveyard for you and your lackeys if you don’t leave my beach. Afterall, It’s a long one. But I don’t think you’ll live long enough to hear the ending though."

Zero chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. "Cocky. I like that. But let’s not play games. He floated a bit closer and dropped to the ground, his aura pressing down. If I recall, the Apeps, the Khamsins, and the Du Mauriers came to us for help just to take away a kid from the European All-Star Academy a year ago. His name was Lucian Grimaud." Zero’s smile widened. "Because of you, kid, more than five hundred people lost their lives. Does their blood not weigh on your conscience?"

The air grew heavy. Clara’s hands clenched around her spear, her silver eyes watching Zero with murderous intent.

Lucian, however, let out a dark, amused chuckle. "Are you trying to make me feel guilty? I’m afraid that ain’t going to work. Those five hundred people died because arrogant vampires wanted my blood, and I was just trying to survive."

Zero’s smile didn’t falter. "A fair point. But it doesn’t change the fact that you’re a threat to the natural order of our plans as a knight of the horizon."

Lucian took a step forward, his aura exploding outward. The sand around him swirled, and the Blood Reaver elongated into a massive, jagged greatsword. Dark Sword Intent blazed violently along its edge, distorting the space around it.

"Let’s cut this bullshit," Lucian said, his voice dripping with lethal intent. "And get to cutting that head of yours."