Token of Respect

151 Token of Respect

Incense smoke wreathed around the solemn, martial deity statue on the altar.

I stood motionless, my blood-stained hand hovering over the hilt of my blade.

Though my blade appeared to be drawn casually, it struck with lightning speed, piercing the Fifth Leviasaur Lord's abdomen—then a green light flashed!

His clothes, along with his flesh and skin, silently split open.

Reaching in, I extracted the Leviasaur's crystal core and casually flung its body from the temple.

In a few breaths, the middle-aged man's tall frame transformed into a hundred-yard long Leviasaur. The creature crashed onto the ground, writhing along the mountainside like a wounded fish.

"Continue your worship," I nodded. Though I believe in the one true God alone, I understood these people's desperation.

People were superstitious even in peaceful times, how much more so in this chaotic world overrun with vampires and monsters? As long as it wasn't a vampire in disguise—like the Sea God of Temple Village—I didn't bother to interfere.

I turned and strode out of the Sea God Temple.

The once-orderly line of worshippers had dissolved into chaos. Despite my efforts to throw the Leviasaur far from the temple, its impact still sent many people tumbling to the ground.

However, when they saw the young man in black emerge, their panic quickly turned into astonishment, and eventually, hundreds of faces bore the same dazed expression.

The several dozen Vampire Hunters nearby stood stunned, gazing at the dying Leviasaur.

They watched as I approached the Leviasaur and, with a casual wave of my hand, sent another flash of green light into its massive, ferocious head.

[Slain a Crystal Realm Leviasaur, total lifespan 5,108 years, remaining lifespan 1,527 years, absorption complete]

Two Silver Bell Vampire Hunters gathered their courage, stepped forward, and offered a respectful bow. "Sir, might we ask which of General Grant's personal attendants you are?"

Even in front of a H.A.R.M. general, Vampire Hunters didn't have to be so deferential, let alone a colonel. But after witnessing such a shocking display of power, they instinctively added "sir" to their address.

"John Kane," I said while collecting the Leviasaur's heart blood into my silver bell, aware of the covetous gazes from the men before me.

Seeing the silver bell, the expressions of the two Vampire Hunters instantly turned complex. So he was a colleague... but when had such a ruthless warrior appeared among their ranks?!

"Could you please tell me which direction are the other two?" I asked politely. Though I had gained the ability to track Leviasaurs from Maple Rex's core, the connection was weaker when searching for Leviasaurs other than his father, Karim Shaheen. Besides, in a hunt, it never hurt to have multiple ways to track your prey.

"…" The Vampire Hunters sighed. Having witnessed my arrival by teleportation, they realized that they no longer had a share in the hunt.

Without hesitation, they handed over the two hard-won wisps of Leviasaur essence sample.

"Then we'll leave these matters to you, sir."

Merit points mattered, but survival was paramount.

"Thank you." I took the essence samples, gripped the Leviasaur's whiskers, hoisted its massive corpse, and soared into the air until I vanished from sight.

… …

A hush fell over the mountainside as the young man vanished into the sky. Then, with a surge of awe and renewed fervor, the worshippers poured out of the temple, their eyes fixed on the heavens where their savior had disappeared.

A collective gasp arose as they turned towards the statue, its features now imbued with an almost supernatural significance. "The Sea God has returned!" they cried, falling to their knees in fervent prayer.

Their voices echoed through the mountains, carrying a mix of gratitude, fear, and newfound faith.

...

Seamist County, Vancouver.

The strait had lost its former calm. The waves surged and rolled like a bottomless maw, choosing its victims to devour, striking fear into all who beheld it.

Countless star-adorned black uniforms fluttered in the sheltered fishing cove, situated south of the desolation sound.

At the shore's edge stood the old man, clad in gleaming black armor, his great silver halberd in hand. His scarlet cloak hung dimly in the mist.

Even a harmonizing H.A.R.M. general nurturing his Redeemed Spirit felt powerless before the vast ocean.

Skyler Grant had no way of knowing whether the old Leviasaur was already dead or still lurking somewhere in the Pacific.

But until the creature revealed itself, his only option was to guard the coastline.

Because he was the only one in all of Vancouver capable of containing such a threat.

Standing closest to General Grant was not a lieutenant general but rather a sturdy young man wearing the uniform of a three-star major.

"So after finally getting some time off, your first move is to face a Leviasaur clan led by a harmonizing vampire? Trying to force me into retirement, are you?" Skyler Grant smiled.

"No, I just feel useless in Seattle, and it weighs on me." Max Vierkant slowly clenched his fist.

"You're still young. We old folks are the useless ones, unable to give you enough time to grow." General Grant sighed. Back in his youth, his realm level hadn't matched up to these young people of today.

Considering this, he said gently, "You're already someone your peers look up to. There's no need to compare yourself to us old-timers."

"Look up to?" Max gave a sheepish smile, not arguing, though a particular figure drifted unbidden through his mind.

At that moment, a Vampire Hunter hurried over from the distance.

Skyler Grant reined in his smile. "Did you capture the Leviasaurs?"

More than ten highly experienced Silver Bell Vampire Hunters had arrived to help. After five days of searching, he expected that they would have found something.

"No, but—" The vampire hunter started to speak, then faltered into silence.

"But what?" Max Vierkant asked eagerly, driven by a burning desire to prove himself.

Yet, he found that General Grant had already withdrawn his gaze and was looking up at the sky.

Under the watchful eyes of H.A.R.M.'s personnel, three massive Leviasaurs appeared in the misty sky, their bodies dangling. Their black scales glinted with a cold sheen, each beast as enormous as the one from Crown Mountain.

The massive bodies plummeted toward the ground at breathtaking speed!

Boom!

From agents to colonels, many recoiled in horror, shielding their faces against the putrid gust of wind that swept over them.

As the dust settled, a young man emerged slowly from between the Leviasaur corpses.

While his fair face was unfamiliar to some, others recognized him instantly.

"..."

Max held his breath, absently running his fingers through his hair as he wrestled with a mix of awe and helpless frustration.

General Grant arched an eyebrow as he surveyed the three notorious Leviasaur Lords of the Pacific. They lay lifeless before him, their bellies sliced open in that all-too-familiar manner.

Then, his gaze settled on the young man's face.

"John Kane reporting for duty, Sir."

The young man in the black uniform approached the crowd and snapped a crisp military salute.

The insignia on his collar belonged exclusively to General Grant. Given this, one would expect them to be old friends who had known each other for years.

Yet their expressions remained strictly professional, suggesting they were hardly acquainted at all.

"But the three Leviasaurs…, Colonel Kane took out all of them." The Vampire Hunter shrugged and finally finished the second half of his sentence.

Upon hearing this, a thoughtful expression crossed General Grant's face.

Skyler Grant had glimpsed John Kane when he left Crown Mountain. Now, seeing him again, the young man maintained that same calm and reserved demeanor, yet something was different. It wasn't just the stars on his shoulders or the wolf-emblazoned cloak billowing behind him, but an almost imperceptible shift in his aura—a subtle weight, a hint of steel, that spoke of battles fought and victories hard-won.

"I've been waiting for you," the old man sighed, a smile crossing his lips. "Yet I also feared you would come to me."

The Admiral had five exceptionally talented disciples. Skyler Grant, having lived for over eight hundred years, also yearned for a worthy successor to carry on his legacy.

Yet he knew keeping such talent confined to his side would be a waste. For the young man, joining the Vampire Hunters offered not only greater challenges but also better opportunities for growth.

With that thought, he gazed intently at Kane. "I never imagined we would meet again under such circumstances."

Presenting three Leviasaur Lords—each at least as powerful as Karim Shaheen—as a token of respect...

It was almost extravagant.

So extraordinary that even this old general's long-dormant heart surged with turbulent waves, much like the Pacific Ocean before him.