Deliberate Disruptions

149 Deliberate Disruptions

Aisha Patani descended from the mountaintop with the same unhurried grace as before.

I watched her retreating figure with a pensive stare. As a true expert, she seemed unbothered by time itself—even her walk embodied such effortless and confident beauty.

I wondered when I would possess such strength and be able to pause for rest.

As soon as this thought arose, I banished it from my mind.

The battle with Moonfeather had exhausted my entire bag of tricks.

The Vampire Devouring External Crystal was depleted, the peacock vampire lord's green and red lights needed time to recover, and the Sun-Shattering Bow's golden light had dimmed to less than half its strength.

Even my formidable body, empowered by the fifth transformation of Nine Cycles Sanguine Resurrection, now felt exhaustion seeping through every fiber.

This was truly one of Cascadia's most feared harmonizing vampire lords.

However, even Moonfeather appeared fawning and subservient when standing beside that bull vampire.

To stand unshaken amidst the chaos of this troubled world, I still had a long way to go.

Withdrawing my gaze, I recalled Aisha Patani's earlier words about the Heaven Devouring Crystal and the Melting Sun Furnace.

Clearly, even if she hadn't recognized the External Crystal originating from the fox wonderland, she had discovered that I was relying on vampire cultivation and essence through an external power source.

Her attitude, however, surprised me.

She seemed unfazed by it. In fact, she suggested I could use a crystallization technique to transform this "external source" completely into my own power.

When I touched the ice sword earlier, I found it nearly unbearable. This woman, as I recalled, had thousands of identical silver needles concealed within her body—enough to manifest a terrifying magnificent ice dragon.

By comparison, I was merely suppressing a single external crystal—hardly something worth making a fuss over.

Was she hinting that I should use the Melting Sun Furnace's suppressive power to feed the Vampire Devouring External Crystal into my inner core?

… …

I calmed my mind. It was premature to contemplate such matters—I hadn't even acquired a crystallization technique, much less achieved harmonization after fully crystallized.

I should also return to Seattle soon to collect my rewards from the Vampire Hunters.

My silver bell now contained an impressive collection of vampire heart's blood.

I had gathered blood from the Mountain Lord's family of four, the peacock family of three, the Black Stone Spring Toad Lord, and two fully crystallized great vampires—the golden eagle and purple marten. There was also blood from several minor vampires I'd eliminated while escorting Rose to Black Stone Spring, plus the nascent Crystal Realm vampire's heart blood from General Laurent for delivering a message to Cloud Citadel.

And most potent of all was Moonfeather's heart's blood.

However, all the vampires' essence samples had dissipated upon their deaths—not a single wisp remained... The most cost efficient approach would have been to collect and record the essence samples for merit first, then return to eliminate the vampires.

Being new to vampire hunting, I lacked experience and had squandered potential merit points.

… …

I stretched and turned around. "Sister Rose, how long do you plan to lie there?"

Aisha Patani and I were both martial artists. How could we not know that Rose Hightower had already woken up? However, being discreet people, neither of us disturbed her as she feigned sleep.

… …

Rose's eyelashes fluttered as she sat up from the ground. "I didn't want to interrupt your treatment," she said sheepishly. "It's alright—I can make my way back on my own."

She was truly surprised that John had declined the undeniable Aisha Patani's invitation. Had Arnold Stark been in John's shoes, he would have already drawn his sword and pledged his undying loyalty.

As for why she pretended to be asleep, she couldn't imagine what expression she should wear while sitting beside those two without feeling completely out of place...

I shook my head gently and said, "Let me escort you, it's no trouble at all."

If not for her warning through the silver bell, I would have walked straight into the ambush meant for Aisha—three vampires at the harmonizing stage, plus three fully crystallized vampires...

Despite my confidence in Whispering Gale, I doubted I could easily escape from such a formidable lineup.

"Thank you," Rose said softly as she stood up and walked to my side.

We left the ruined church, made our way out of the Chuckanut Mountains, and headed toward the small grove where our bloodsteeds were tied.

Rose used the silver bell to alert the waiting Vampire Hunters of our safety, then calmed the nervous bloodsteeds.

Night had fallen, and the stars seemed close enough to touch. The meadow stretched out before us, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight.

"You must be hungry," Rose looked at me expectantly. "Did you catch anything tasty during your hunt?"

I retrieved some tiger meat from my silver bell.

Rose's eyes sparkled with excitement. "So you caught the Mountain Lord after all." Fully crystallized vampire meat was prized for both its rich essence and exceptional flavor.

"General Patani caught it." I replied.

Hearing the way I addressed Aisha, Rose smiled. She swiftly built a fire. The flames danced and crackled, bathing the clearing in a warm glow.

With a practiced eye, she selected a prime cut of meat and carefully sliced it into bite-sized pieces, sprinkling salt and some minced herbs over them. She then retrieved steel skewers from her silver bell, threaded the meat onto them, and placed them over the fire.

Soon, fragrant smoke from the wood fire mingled with the aroma of sizzling meat that wafted through the air. Rose turned the skewers with practiced precision, ensuring each piece cooked to perfection, her graceful silhouette cast in an ethereal glow.

Her blonde hair, catching the firelight, shimmered like spun gold. The flames danced in her eyes, reflecting their warmth and brilliance.

I found comfort watching her cook—it reminded me of the Pinewood County days and drew me closer to her. Sensing my gaze, she turned with a smile and handed me several skewers of meat. "Are you heading to Vancouver?" she asked.

"I'll check it out after you safely return to Surrey." I had to make the trip to Vancouver, though I found it tedious. My initial unfamiliarity with the Vampire Devouring External Crystal had sent two H.A.R.M. generals on a wild chase after a non-existent vampire lord.

Just running an errand, no big deal. I thought to myself.

Besides, as Vancouver General's personal attendant, I had yet to even see which direction the Vancouver H.A.R.M. General's Mansion faced—a bit odd, really.

… …

After finishing our meal, we mounted our horses and rode back toward the city. Several times during the journey, Rose wanted to caution John about staying safe on the road ahead, but the words remained caught in her throat, unspoken.

After last night's events, John had proven himself capable of fighting alongside Aisha Patani and slaying vampires with her. The path ahead of him now lay beyond Rose's reach.

"Tell me, what did the vampires who ambushed Senior Sister Patani last night look like?" Rose asked curiously.

"A bull vampire, a dog vampire, and a snow owl." My eyes flickered with frustration—in my haste last night, I had forgotten to collect an aura sample from the towering bull.

"The Ascendant King?" Rose yanked the reins to a halt. "This is bad!"

"What do you mean?" I asked, turning to face her.

"Now I understand why Senior Sister Patani rushed back to Sacramento," Rose said. "Whenever the Ascendant King is wounded and escapes, the Blood Moon Vampire King retaliates by having his minions wreak havoc across Cascadia. This prevents H.A.R.M. from mounting another attack against the Ascendant King." Rose's face creased with worry.

It was remarkable how fiercely the ancient Vampire King protected this newly arrived outsider.

This could only mean the Blood Moon Vampire King had long coveted Cascadia.

It was even willing to nurture a rival King—all to eliminate the Admiral and Aisha Patani first.

Rose sighed. "These deliberate disruptions serve only to keep H.A.R.M. occupied. With no specific targets, we can't gather intelligence beforehand or prepare an effective response."

I looked ahead, my expression unchanged.

Just months ago, I had been a mere sergeant in Pinewood County. Now here I was, discussing the safety of all Cascadia. It felt surreal—almost too much to take in.

Just kill the vampires when I see them. What else could I do?

...

Upon returning to Surrey, I kept my stay brief.

After bidding Rose farewell, I switched to an inconspicuous carriage and departed the city. Though bloodsteeds still pulled the vehicle, I dispensed with the usual ceremonial display of a personal attendant colonel at the reins.

Just as I had entered Surrey's jurisdiction quietly with Arnold, I departed in the same manner—with only Rose standing on the street, watching my carriage disappear into the distance.

The only notable change was the significantly reduced number of great vampires in the Surrey area.

...

Rose remained motionless for a long while, her gaze eventually dropping to her shoes in a daze.

Both were H.A.R.M. Generals, yet why was General Grant able to appoint such a powerful and impressive personal attendant? While General Laurent himself was powerful and commanded renowned lieutenants, they simply couldn't compare to John.

As the saying goes, the older the ginger root, the more potent its flavor.