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Chapter 192 – The Battle Against the Sleepers
Chapter 192 – The Battle Against the Sleepers
The battlefield was soaked in shadows and blood. The Sleeper vampires had arrived in full force—one thousand strong, their crimson eyes glowing in the darkness like hungry embers. From the towering battlements of Raven Tower, Seraphis watched as their army stretched across the land, their hunger palpable in the cold night air.
The ravens circling above gave the signal. The attack had begun.
Explosions erupted among the enemy ranks as carefully placed traps were triggered. Fire and smoke tore through the first wave of vampires, their inhuman shrieks piercing the night as they were reduced to ash. Some stepped upon concealed landmines—buried explosives laced with silver shrapnel—instantly obliterating them into nothing but scattered limbs and dust.
By the time the first assault ended, their numbers had dropped to eight hundred. But even with their losses, the vampires surged forward without hesitation.
Seraphis raised her hand, and the Black Knights, along with her newest companions, advanced. The Golden Constructs—humanoid warriors of unyielding steel—moved in perfect synchronization, their enchanted blades gleaming in the moonlight.
As the enemy closed the distance, the sky was suddenly clouded with thick smoke. Bombs filled with a potent mixture of poison and illusion magic burst open, disorienting the vampires, making them see phantoms of death lurking in the mist. Some slashed at empty air, their minds tricked into believing they were under attack from every direction.
Seraphis struck first, her razor-sharp cards weaving through the fog, embedding themselves into vampire skulls and throats. Each card was more than just a blade—it was an extension of her will. With a single thought, they twisted and turned midair, slicing through their targets like whispers of death.
One by one, the vampires fell. Their numbers dwindled to seven hundred.
Then, the true battle began.
The elite warriors of the Von family stepped forth—massive, armored figures with centuries of battle experience. Their weapons were old, enchanted with dark magic, pulsing with cursed energy.
A hulking vampire general roared, his voice carrying through the chaos. He was clad in blackened armor, his greatsword crackling with malevolent energy. He charged forward, his blade swinging down with earth-shattering force.
Seraphis met him mid-strike, her cards forming a defensive barrier just in time to absorb the blow. Sparks flew as steel met magic. The force sent her skidding backward, but she remained unshaken.
Before he could strike again, she flicked her wrist. A flurry of cards lashed out, slicing deep into his exposed neck. He staggered, eyes wide in shock. With a final flick of her fingers, the cards twisted sharply—decapitating him in a clean, precise motion.
His body collapsed, reduced to ash before it even hit the ground.
Elsewhere, the Black Knights carved through the enemy with relentless precision. Their dark armor made them nearly indistinguishable from the night, their movements fluid and merciless. One knight drove his blade straight through a vampire’s chest before twisting and severing another’s head in a single motion.
The Golden Constructs fought with cold efficiency, their enchanted forms impervious to pain. They waded into the fray like silent reapers, their weapons cutting through the undead horde with terrifying ease.
But the vampires would not fall so easily.
A group of them broke through the defenses, lunging toward Seraphis with fangs bared. She flipped backward, her agility allowing her to avoid their grasping claws. Mid-air, she released another wave of cards, each one embedding itself in the vampires' skulls and chests.
They fell like broken dolls, their bodies crumbling into dust.
Yet, the enemy did not waver.
From the midst of their ranks, a new presence emerged—a vampire unlike any of the others. He was clad in dark robes, his movements slow and deliberate. His mere presence seemed to warp the air around him, a suffocating aura of dread rolling off him in waves.
Seraphis narrowed her eyes. This one was different. Stronger. Older.
The vampire smiled. "You have done well to survive this long, child." His voice was smooth, laced with venomous amusement. "But your tricks end here."
He raised a hand, and the shadows around him twisted into jagged tendrils. In an instant, they shot forward, aiming to ensnare her.
Seraphis reacted on instinct. Her cards moved to intercept, cutting through the shadows like blades through silk. But the vampire was already moving, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye.
A clawed hand lashed out. Seraphis barely had time to evade. The force of his strike sent a shockwave through the air, the very ground cracking beneath them.
She retaliated with a barrage of enchanted cards, each one glowing with power. The vampire dodged with inhuman grace, his body shifting like mist. He was faster than anything she had faced before.
But she was not afraid.
She exhaled, focusing her mind. If speed was his advantage, then she would take it from him.
With a flick of her wrist, she unleashed a special set of cards—ones imbued with binding magic. They shot forward, weaving through the air like living things. The vampire tried to evade, but the moment one touched him, the magic activated.
The cards wrapped around his limbs like chains, anchoring him in place.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Seraphis did not hesitate.
She summoned every remaining card in her arsenal and sent them all at once.
A hundred razor-sharp blades descended upon him, striking from every direction. His scream was lost in the chaos as his body was torn apart, his very essence consumed by the sheer force of the attack.
When the dust settled, nothing remained of him but silence.
Seraphis lowered her hands. The battlefield was littered with ash and the remains of fallen enemies. The ravens above let out triumphant cries as the last of the Sleeper vampires fell.
The war was over.
For now.
She turned to her knights, her voice steady. "Gather the wounded. Burn what remains. We leave nothing behind."
The soldiers obeyed without question. Fires were lit, consuming the remnants of the battle in cleansing flames.
Seraphis glanced toward the horizon.
The Von family had suffered a devastating blow tonight.
But Salazar Grimm Von still remained.
And she would see to it that he was next.
The battle may have ended, but her war was far from over.