Progia and the Eternal Flame slowed down their attacks at the same time. The Eternal Flame blocked the Azure King’s path, while Progia fired several dozen streams of demonic energy toward their subordinates.

With the aid of this demonic energy, even the dukes saw their speed increase sharply. This allowed them to leave the battlefield quickly.

Even with a Grand Magnum on their side, Progia and the Eternal Flame were unexpectedly at a disadvantage against the Azure King.

Behind that elegant and calm demeanor, was a force not inferior to a grand magnum as well as a shocking speed.

Although Progia and the Eternal Flame knew that the king would exhaust himself as long as they could drag things out for a bit, this stalling would be nothing short of perilous.

If they were to encounter the Azure King one on one, there would be no other choice but to retreat. The Azure King was already at the end of his lifespan, and every attack would drain what remained of his life force. So, he certainly would not last long.

Now that the Lightless Monarch had arrived, it was only normal that they would plan to retreat. The two were great dark monarchs in the prime of their life, so it wouldn’t be a good deal if they were to sustain injuries after finishing off the Azure King.

Seeing that the two demonkin were about to withdraw, the Azure King said, “Why not leave something before you go? Won’t it be too rude otherwise?”

He opened his arms wide, azure light flickering at the tips of his fingers. The lights connected with one another to form a complicated web, which the Azure King shot out with a swing of his arm. Dozens of azure threads flew out at lightning speed, slashing at the two great dark monarchs and the retreating dukes.

The azure threads left rippling afterimages in the air. A shocked Progia roared, “Don’t block! Run!”

However, the threads arrived so quickly that the warning was a moment too late. Two dukes and a vice-duke blocked the attack instinctively, only to find that nothing could stop those threads, not their weapons, not their armor, nor their demonic energy and flesh.

Only when the threads had passed by did they realize that the faint shadows behind the threads were sundered space.

The three duke-grade experts’ saw the fire of life snuffed out of them as their demonic furnaces were cut into two. Even the two great dark monarchs at the scene couldn’t save them.

Of course, the threads weren’t fast enough to hit Progia and the Eternal Flame. The Azure King fired three threads each at the duo, merely to stop them from helping their subordinates.

This power came at a terrifying price. After the attack, the Azure King’s blood energy dropped sharply and only stabilized after an entire level of decline. Yet, he had managed to kill three demonkin dukes in front of two great dark monarchs. One could still see the Azure King’s style from back when he was famous throughout the world.

The king sneered with his hands behind his back. “This matter won’t end here…”

His laughter came to a sudden stop along the way. Looking down, he saw a hand piercing through his chest, grasping a giant azure gem that was his blood core.

The Azure King turned back and saw that it was the Lightless Monarch Medanzo. The man’s eyebrows were twitching, and his expression was so sinister that it looked distorted.

Medanzo had concealed his own aura while leaving decoy traces during his approach. This threw off the Azure King’s judgment, something only possible due to his understanding of the king and his exhausted state after the battle. Medanzo himself felt surprised that the sneak attack was successful. He would have doubted the results if it weren’t for the reality of the blood core in his hands.

“So, it was you…” The Azure King came to.

Medanzo’s eyes shifted slightly and his blood energy was aboil. Clearly, his emotions were in turmoil. “You’re quite the sly one, aren’t you? You actually gave them your life-saving ace. But that will only cause a bit of a problem for us. Even if you sent them to the upper continents, we will find them sooner or later.”

The Azure King’s astonishment had subsided by this point. Ten thousand years of life was enough for him to look at everything with indifference. “You’ve renounced the River of Blood and betrayed the Queen. You will get your just deserts before long.”

Medanzo suddenly flared up. “River of Blood? The Queen?! Haha, what a joke! The river has been growing increasingly distant each year. My seal is even starting to fade away. The river betrayed me! Our entire race will be done for if we rely on the river! How will I remain a great dark monarch after the seal fades away?”

The Azure King didn’t argue and merely gazed at Medanzo like a pitiful character.

Medanzo found the gaze to be incomparably annoying. He became even more agitated. “What does the Queen know apart from sleeping?! How many times has she woken up throughout the years? What has she ever cared about? I’m the only one propping up the internal affairs of the race. Yet, she doesn’t appreciate all that I’ve done! She actually treats that little bastard Habsburg better! He’s just a prince who was lucky enough to ignite a seal. How many years has my seal been there?! Also, she actually produced a drop of origin blood, not for me but for that slut Nighteye! All of this while knowing how hard I’ve been working for the vampire race all these years!”

After a brief pause, Medanzo clenched his jaws and said, “Don’t worry. With me around, the Queen won’t know anything that’s happening outside. She will just sleep on in ignorance. Even if we can’t find her drifting place, she won’t sense anything as long as we keep the entrance of the Twilight Continent sealed. Even if she finds out later on, the die will have been cast! As for you, Azure King, you should’ve died a long time ago! Just like her!”

The Eternal Flame appeared beside Medanzo. “He’s gone.”

Medanzo was stunned. Only then did he realize that the Azure King’s vitality had completely dispersed at some point. Yet, the pity in his eyes was still just as annoying—it was this gaze that had driven Medanzo out of his mind.

The Lightless Monarch eventually remembered his status as a great dark monarch. With a loud snort, he flung the Azure King’s body away, allowing it to fall into the dust.

However, a gentle wave of demonic energy lifted the body and sent it flying to Progia’s side.

The demonkin picked up the Azure King’s body with both hands and passed it to one of the nearby dukes. “Take him back and bury him properly.”

That duke bowed in affirmation and took the Azure King’s body away, carrying it adrift over his head. Not touching the remains by hand and carrying it overhead showed the deep respect he had for this great dark monarch.

Although the demonkin had lost three dukes, a true expert like the Azure King naturally commanded the respect of his enemies.

Medanzo felt uncomfortable at the sight of this.

The Eternal Flame extended a hand. “Hand it over.”

Seeing the demonkin’s eyes on the Azure King’s blood core, Medanzo frowned. “This belongs to our race.”

“His Majesty wants it.”

“Why would the Demon King want it?” Medanzo was puzzled. He held onto the blood core still, planning to stow it away.

The Azure King had shown extraordinary prowess in that last battle, filling Medanzo with greed for the blood core.

Comparatively, the Azure King’s bloodline quality was far above the Lightless Monarch’s. The man was at the end of his life, and the overdraft had left his blood core on the verge of collapse; this was a good thing for Medanzo since there would be no backlash. The value of this blood core was no less valuable than a drop of Lilith’s origin blood.

Why did the Demon King want it?

Seeing that Medanzo was unwilling to let go, the Eternal Flame took a step back and Progia also arrived quietly nearby. The two great dark monarchs stood on either side of the Lightless Monarch in a clear posture of threat.

The Eternal Flame said, “You’ve already betrayed the Queen of the Night. Are you planning to betray the Demon King as well? Perhaps you want to seek the Spider Queen’s protection? That is if you manage to leave with your life.”

Medanzo’s expression changed drastically. He was no Azure King—without a speed that could look down on the entire world, there was no way he could escape. In fact, where would he run to? Considering what he did today, the Queen of the Night would be the first to kill him and not the demonkin.

He had no choice but to hand the Azure King’s blood core over. “My loyalty to the Demon King never changed.”

“That will be for the best. Don’t worry, the king will reward you handsomely for your devotion.” The Eternal Flame put away the blood core with utmost care.

For some reason, Medanzo felt a sense of unease when he saw the Eternal Flame’s expression.

Progia glanced at the surroundings and then went over to two of the dukes. “You two stay here and clean up the area. Don’t leave any traces behind. You must be done by the time Habsburg arrives.”

After making arrangements, Progia said to Medanzo. “We’ll rely on you to lock down the flow of information on the vampire side. At the very least, we must avoid alarming the Queen until our plans have been realized.”

Medanzo bowed slightly. “Rest assured, I’m the only great dark monarch of the race now. No one will dare to go against me.”

The Eternal Flame frowned. “Be careful of Habsburg.”

Medanzo’s eyes were filled with killing intent. “Why don’t we send him back to sleep in the blood pond for a couple hundred years?”

Progia said, “His Majesty will decide how to deal with Habsburg. There’s no need for us to interfere, let’s go.”

Medanzo was dissatisfied, but he could only leave helplessly.

The Demon King had already warned Sousa not to cause a huge ruckus, and this warning applied to him as well. The king’s demand was for each race to keep up a stable appearance. Without the supreme’s consent, he couldn’t take action even if he could knock Habsburg back into the blood pond.

…

The small stone hall in the secret realm. The waters in the Pond of Azure Darkness bubbled as Qianye slowly sat up. This time, his eyes were bright and clear, without the slightest hint of sleepiness.

He checked himself, then the pond. The waters had lost their color and turned into a pool of clear water. All of the energy and vitality within had been absorbed.

Qianye stood up and stretched his body before walking out of the pond. Just as he was about to grab his clothes, he suddenly stood there in a daze.

In his perception, he could no longer feel his blood core and heart. There was only the Book of Darkness slowly revolving in his chest.