The First Vampire

Chapter 616: 614 New Plan_1

Dense, black clouds obstructed the moonlight, casting only a dull glow.

The heavy rain had not yet subsided, and rumbling thunder periodically rolled across the sky.

Knight Maiko leaned against a Phoenix Tree, searing pain coursing through every inch of his body. It felt as if all the injuries he had accumulated over time were erupting at once.

Nevertheless, he kept an alert eye on the solitary figure in front of him—

Mr. Ji.

News of this man’s exploits were no longer secrets among the nobles of the Glorious Empire.

Furthermore, the Royal Family had specifically instructed all territorial lords to increase security in large cities with populations exceeding three hundred thousand to prevent any insane mage from replicating Mr. Ji’s deeds in Fallen Eagle City.

Even though this infamous knight had just helped him escape Wind Whisper City, Knight Maiko was still concerned about ulterior motives.

Suffering heavily, Duke St. Gregorian lacked even the ability to move. If Mr. Ji harbored malicious intentions, Knight Maiko would truly be at a loss what to do.

Luckily, Mr. Ji seemed to bear no ill-intent, simply gazing at the pitch-black night sky, seemingly waiting for someone to arrive.

Not long after, his companion emerged.

“I didn’t expect you to help.”

A robust male voice sounded from behind. Knight Maiko turned around and saw that Prince Lexie, without him noticing, had already taken his position there.

Despite Prince Lexie’s notorious reputation as a member of St. Lorenzo family of Holy Knights, Knight Maiko felt that he was more reliable than Mr. Ji.

At the least, Prince Lexie would not stand by and see the Glorious Empire fall.

As for Mr. Ji… that was uncertain.

“I am also human,” Mr. Ji replied with a faint smile towards Prince Lexie, “And to be honest, if you had trusted me earlier and informed me of your assassination plan, our chance of success would have been quite high if the three of us had joined forces.”

Prince Lexie remained silent.

But he did not shout threats at Mr. Ji anymore; perhaps he too started to see Mr. Ji as a potential ally.

“We can try again!” Duke St. Gregorian said breathlessly, his voice gravelly.

Prince Lexie frowned, saying, “But your injuries…”

“Give me a few days, and I will recover,” replied Duke St. Gregorian, determination evident in his voice.

But Prince Lexie’s frown deepened. He knew that once a Holy Knight was injured, it was very difficult to heal, let alone a severe injury like Duke St. Gregorian’s current condition.

Her claim of recovering in a few days would certainly mean pushing through the pain, which could severely drain her vitality…

“We have already missed the best opportunity to assassinate Saruman. It will be difficult to find such a chance again,” advised Prince Lexie, “So, you should return to Dragon City and allow Pope Gregory to heal your wounds.”

“No! I will not leave the Westland!” Duke St. Gregorian’s voice was as firm as iron. She then gave a slight snort, “Moreover, asking Gregory to treat me is not as simple as it sounds. I cannot afford the price he demands now…”

Prince Lexie was speechless for a moment.

He understood Duke St. Gregorian’s meaning.

The church was not a true charity, and Pope Gregory would certainly not heal Duke St. Gregorian for free.

“Actually, if we want to kill Saruman, I do have an idea,” Mr. Ji suddenly interjected.

“What is it?” Duke St. Gregorian asked eagerly.

“Prince Lexie is right. After this assassination attempt, Saruman will definitely be more cautious. We won’t get another good opportunity like this. So we need to try a different method.”

“What method?”

Mr. Ji paused, then declared solemnly:

“The Eyes of Judgement.”

The atmosphere froze instantly when he spoke.

Knight Maiko, feeling the terrifying pressure brazenly confronting him, was also shocked beyond measure.

He certainly had heard of the Eyes of Judgement, knowing that the last Northern Duke, a Holy Knight, died beneath that Forbidden Spell.

However, the same Forbidden Spell had reduced Fallen Eagle City, along with its hundreds of thousands of commoners, into ashes.

Using that Forbidden Spell on Emperor Saruman seemed like a plausible method, but the question was—

This time, which city had Mr. Ji planned to sacrifice?

Among the many present, no one reacted more strongly to Mr. Ji’s proposal than Prince Lexie.

The name of the Forbidden Spell apparently touched a nerve deep within the Holy Knight. He had initially intended to temporarily put aside their mutual hatred in consideration of Mr. Ji’s willingness to unite and fight against the orcs.

But having heard that Mr. Ji was planning to cast the Eyes of Judgement once again, Prince Lexie couldn’t help but lose control of his anger.

However, Duke St. Gregorian suddenly spoke, asking:

“What is your specific plan?”

A hint of hidden delight flashed in Mr. Ji’s eyes, but before he could speak, Prince Lexie decisively rejected the idea:

“Deborah, you can’t be serious about aiding this devil in sacrificing innocent imperial citizens again, are you?”

Duke St. Gregorian sighed, and retorted: “Do you have a better solution for killing Saruman?”

Prince Lexie was speechless momentarily.

The power of the Skull Shatterer in the Holy Field was beyond their expectations.

If they, the three Holy Knights, had put aside their grievances and joined hands from the start at Wind Whisper City, they might have had a chance to defeat the enemy.

But now, with Duke St. Gregorian gravely injured and Saruman increasing his defenses, any assassination attempt would be tantamount to suicide.

Of course, if the Human Allied Forces could defeat the Orc Army on the physical battlefield, they would still stand a chance against, even defeat, Saruman. But the question was, can they depend on the Human Allied Forces anymore?

At this point, the Forbidden Spell proposal of the Eyes of Judgement made by Mr. Ji seemed to be the most feasible plan.

By sacrificing some commoners, they might be able to kill the Orc Emperor and plunge the Orc Army into civil unrest.

Such a deal seemed very worthwhile.

After all, if the Orc Army could not be stopped in time, these human commoners would die anyway, and even in greater numbers…

Sacrifice a city to save an empire.

A worthy bargain indeed.

At least, Duke St. Gregorian thought it was well worth it.

This Holy Knight, who had watched Westland fall into the hands of the orcs, turning it into a living hell, was prepared to kill the Orc Emperor at any cost.

Seeing that Prince Lexie remained silent, Duke St. Gregorian turned to Mr. Ji and asked again:

“Which city are you planning to sacrifice?”

Mr. Ji licked his lips and said, “Storm Fortress.”

Prince Lexie frowned.

He knew, Storm Fortress was a territory of the Flame Region, a mandatory stop from the Westland into the central part of the Empire and the western entrance of the Flame Region.

“How many people do you want to sacrifice?”

“One million.” Mr. Ji uttered an astonishing number.

“There aren’t that many people in Storm Fortress,” Prince Lexie responded, his face darkened.

“Add the Imperial Army that escaped back from the Sky Breaking Mountain Range and the refugees of Westland, then it’s enough,” Mr. Ji said, smiling faintly.

Knight Maiko trembled. He thought Duke St. Gregorian would object, but there was no interruption.

Turning his head, he saw Duke St. Gregorian, whose eyes were filled with a cold glimmer.