Clash between knights.
If everything ended peacefully, that would be ideal, but Marcus didn't believe it would.
Marcus slowly lifted his head and looked at the old man before him. Albert's eyes were cold and piercing; even with the red sunglasses shielding them, Marcus could still see the yellowish glow emanating from those cursed eyes.
Taking a deep breath, Marcus placed his hand on his chest and lowered his head. He spoke with the most dignified voice he could muster:
"I, Baltazar, greet you, Lord Albert."
Albert couldn't hide his confusion at the sudden respectful greeting from the man who had invaded the Black Forest some time ago as if he owned the place.
Despite his age, Albert was no fool. Although he wanted to hear what Marcus had to say, something in his mind screamed for him to tear the boy in half, for if he didn't, he would be the one torn apart.
After ripping off Baltazar's arms and legs, he would extract all the information he needed. Albert raised his cane, pointing it at Marcus, and whispered irritably:
"Tear his flesh and drink his blood."
Although it was merely a faint whisper, Marcus clearly heard the old man's words. He couldn't help but curse in his mind, but he also knew he wasn't defenseless.
He had had plenty of time to think about how to defeat Albert. During his journey to the mansion, Marcus had already defeated Albert a hundred times in his mind and did not plan to lose now.
If an enraged Baltazar had once brought Albert to his knees, Marcus wouldn't falter at his words. At the forest's edge, thirty humanoid creatures appeared. They had human-like forms, but their skin was as white as milk, their eyes shone with a brilliant yellow, and their long, bloodstained teeth resembled those of a shark that had just torn into its prey. They were ghouls, irrational carnivores that existed solely to serve vampires.
Marcus hated to admit it, but he couldn't handle thirty of them. Fortunately, he didn't have to. The ghouls charged at full speed with the sole aim of dismembering him. However, when the nearest ghoul extended its hand to grab him, another ghoul behind it pulled its leg, causing it to stumble.
The fallen ghoul didn't have time to react before its former ally tore out its throat with a bite.
One by one, the ghouls split into two groups: one trying to kill Marcus and the other trying to protect him. Marcus couldn't hide his smile as he saw the translucent screen appear before him:
Name: Marcus Solomon
Level: 7 → 15
Class: Blood Knight
Health: 50 → 150
Strength: 20 → 45
Agility: 15 → 30
Dexterity: 13 → 29
Mana: 16 → 50
Spirit: 15
Abilities:
Bite: Recover health equivalent to the blood absorbed.
Vampiric Regeneration: Heals abnormally fast.
Vampiric Charm: Influences beings with weaker wills.
Blood Ritual (NEW): Create lesser vampires by bestowing the immortals' blessing.
Crypt Ritual (NEW): Create ghoul slaves from suitable corpses. "Number of subordinates (inherited: 18).
Blood Control (NEW): Harden your blood to create weapons.
Crypt Bats (NEW): Summon 10 vampiric bats to attack or spy.
The evolution to Blood Knight had significantly enhanced his powers, but what caught Marcus's attention most were the 18 ghouls inherited from Bartolomeu. When Marcus killed and drained Bartolomeu's blood completely, his lineage was fully absorbed.
Ghouls were irrational creatures, incapable of distinguishing Marcus from their former master. All that mattered was the control magic binding them to Marcus's blood.
Albert's expression visibly worsened. His ghouls were outnumbered and falling one by one. Worse still, the ghouls of Bartolomeu desperately protecting Marcus without direct command revealed something alarming.
Consumed by rage, Albert charged at Marcus with absurd speed. Marcus drew his revolver and fired at the old man, landing most of the shots. However, the wounds weren't enough to stop Albert's advance.
Albert attacked with his cane, forcing Marcus to raise his right arm to protect his head. The impact was devastating; the bones in Marcus's arm snapped like twigs under a truck's wheels, and the pistol flew from his hand.
Gritting his teeth, Marcus used his left arm to deliver a powerful punch to Albert's solar plexus, making him stagger. Seizing the opportunity, Marcus kicked Albert's side, causing the old man to lose his balance momentarily.
In an instant, a white shadow leaped from behind Albert. A ghoul sank its teeth into Albert's shoulder, tearing flesh and bone in one bite. Albert reacted swiftly, striking the ghoul with his cane and smashing its head like a watermelon.
Marcus didn't waste the opportunity. While Albert dealt with the ghoul, Marcus drew his sword and drove it into the old man's back, piercing his left lung.
Albert stumbled forward but quickly regained his posture, turning with incredible speed as he attempted to strike Marcus with the cane. Marcus narrowly dodged, retreating to gain some distance.
The sight of Albert was pitiful. Blood poured profusely from multiple wounds, and a massive hole gaped in his shoulder. Worst of all was the sword lodged in his back, continuously draining his blood to feed the jewel on its hilt.